Realized Recently That I Probably Have OCD

[Black_tea]

All my life, I've been a worrier, worrying about EVERYTHING, including some really stupid stuff that never happened. I've been seeing a psychiatrist for several years now, and he prescribed me Paxil. And I've been in and out of therapy as well. I feel like I have OCD (without the compulsive tendencies) because I tend to obsess and lose sleep and my appetite over it.::

What's currently bothering me is the fact that I'm jealous of my younger sister. She's 23 and neither of us have ever had a boyfriend. She really wanted one, but I didn't care that much, and she recently met this great guy. He's cute, funny, smart, and romantic, and they're not officially going out yet, but they do like each other. I want to be happy for her because she's been miserable without any romance in her life, but all I can think about is how much I need someone like that in my life--a sweet, great guy who will like me, and the feeling will be mutual. I even panic about developing feelings for my sister's guy and how awkward that would be. And I haven't even met him yet. This sounds totally crazy, I know. All I want right now is to get relief from my anxiety and come to terms with this new shock.

I found out about this a week ago and at first I was sort of happy for her, but then I started freaking out. I can barely eat, hardly slept on Friday night, and just don't feel like myself. Please tell me I'll survive this, it's really scaring me. Am I going to be paranoid now when my sister kisses someone? Becomes engaged? I feel like such a psycho.

 

[Apersonalan]

If it is anxiety and stress then you're purely obsessional I don't think all would agree but with other silly things like perfectionism you really do freak out if something is out of place, change, not meeting a desired schedule etc your worried that your jealous and don't care for her but it seems your making to much of an effort to be normal when you should just let it be.

When someone has ocd the correct response is to go with it and say "Yeah! I don't care about you or your partner! and I should have my own by now"!! saying it for the ocd and meaning it are two different things, this aggression gives great stress relief

 

[tylerhknox]

If it is anxiety and stress then you're purely obsessional I don't think all would agree but with other silly things like perfectionism you really do freak out if something is out of place, change, not meeting a desired schedule etc your worried that your jealous and don't care for her but it seems your making to much of an effort to be normal when you should just let it be.

When someone has ocd the correct response is to go with it and say "Yeah! I don't care about you or your partner! and I should have my own by now"!! saying it for the ocd and meaning it are two different things, this aggression gives great stress relief

Hmmm, not so sure about this post I just quoted. I don't know if that is the best way to go about it, even though I didn't quite understand their whole response.

From what I understand through your post, it seems as though you are having uncontrollable thoughts which cause you great anxiety. That is definitely a symptom of OCD. Trust me, you are not alone. There are plenty of OCD sufferers out there like us. My best advice would be to seek professional help and talk about it. It is extremely tough to talk about how you are feeling, I know because I was there once. Once you let it off of your chest and either start taking medicine or going through behavioral therapy (or both), you will immediately feel a weight lifted from your chest. As for now and coping with your thoughts, just remind yourself that what you are thinking is unreasonable and uncontrollable. I've had those thoughts as well. I hope this helps! Good luck!

 

[Feathers]

hmm, can you go out with the girls and meet some boys too?
or immerse yourself into some interesting project?
if it's puzzling/fascinating enough it will grab your interest...

You don't need to be 'happy' for her, just 'survive' it... I've liked a few friends' boyfriends and well, you can always stay away from the guy... (if necessary, often I found my friend's 'dreamguys' not-right-for-me in some respect important to me, we're all unique... so maybe you wouldn't even like him!!)

omega3/tuna (or some other nutrition, rich with proteins and vitamins/minerals) has helped me when I was obsessing/feeling anxiety before too..

How about if you chat to some nice guys here or elsewhere online? Or put an ad on a dating site and talk to guys there? Would it help?

Maybe this guy even has a brother, cousin or friend he could introduce you to and you guys could double date?

 

[Apersonalan]

So you don't believe the anxiety comes from being jealous and trying to force yourself to care?

 

[DragonFlight777]

What have you tried until now to resolve your O?
Usually, the more you freak out about your intrusive thoughts the more you try to avoid having them. And the more you do that the stronger they become. I know it might sound awkward and highly unpleasant, but how would you feel about gradually exposing yourself to these thoughts, until you fully immerse yourself in them? In the beginning it will be really hard, but the more you accept them and stop fighting them, the less power they will have over you.